Ill. Judge Questions Bid To Block 340B Drug Discount Law

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois federal judge seemed hesitant Wednesday to halt a state law barring drugmakers from trying to impose restrictions on pharmacies under contract with a federal drug pricing discount program, saying the state seems to be maximizing public health in an area the statute doesn't address.

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Chicago Mayor Pitches Return Of $25-Per-Worker Corp. Tax

By Michael Nunes

The mayor of Chicago released a $17.6 billion budget plan Wednesday that includes the return of a tax on corporations for every employee at large firms, as well as increasing tax rates on sports betting and leased property.

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Marex Says Developer Sank CME Ventures Investment Deal

By Celeste Bott

Financial services firm Marex Capital Markets and two of its executives have sued a British software developer in Illinois federal court, alleging the developer sabotaged a potential investment by CME Group's venture capital arm in Marex's options-trading platform by secretly accusing them of stealing trade secrets, committing fraud and violating exchange rules.

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Wind Groups Say DOD Continues To Freeze Project Reviews

By Tom Lotshaw

Renewable energy backers asked an Oregon federal judge to enforce an injunction that blocked the U.S. Department of Defense from suspending reviews of proposed wind energy projects, arguing it has continued to miss deadlines and maintain an unlawful freeze on project reviews.

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Playground Cos. Delay Deal Pending FTC Trial Eyed For March

By Bryan Koenig

Playground equipment makers PlayPower and BCI Burke have agreed to hold off on consummating their merger pending a Federal Trade Commission antitrust trial in California federal court eyed for "no later than March 15, 2027."

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Beauty Co.'s $8M Refund Bid Axed For Misnomer On Returns

By Kat Lucero

An Illinois federal judge dismissed a skin care corporate group's $8.3 million tax refund suit, finding she lacked jurisdiction to review its amended returns claiming business deductions because those filings did not use the company's new name after a 2018 merger.

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WWE Sued Over Wrestler's Lap Dance For Off-Duty Cop

By Gina Kim

World Wrestling Entertainment was sued in Illinois state court by a Cook County sheriff's officer who says he was subjected to an unwanted sexualized lap dance by wrestling star Kenneth Crawford during the broadcast of Monday Night Raw, despite never agreeing to be made a participant in the show.

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Amazon Says Chinese Videos Reveal TM Suit Payout Scheme

By Ivan Moreno

Amazon has told a Chicago federal judge that it found Chinese-language videos and social media posts in which a China-based operator describes using federal lawsuits to release money from frozen seller accounts, offering a possible explanation for court-ordered transfers the e-commerce giant has challenged in more than a dozen trademark cases.

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Target Is 'Healthwashing' Electrolyte Drink Powder, Suit Says

By Gina Kim

Target is accused of "healthwashing" its Up & Up brand electrolyte drink powder supplement mix by labeling it as though it's sugar-free, despite the presence of allulose, an ingredient the Seventh Circuit recently confirmed is a sugar, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday in Illinois federal court.

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Wachtell Lipton Guides Abbott Nutrition Spinoff

By Nate Beck

Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz guided healthcare company Abbott in a plan to spin off its nutrition business into an independent, publicly traded company anchored by brands such as adult supplement Ensure and infant formula Similac.

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New Weil-Willkie Domains Add To Merger Speculation

By Marialuisa Taddia

Two domain names that combine the names of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP have been registered, fueling speculation about a potential merger between the two prominent Wall Street law firms.

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Bonus Spotlight

Hueston Hennigan Bumps Clerkship Bonus To $205K

By Lynn LaRowe

Trial boutique Hueston Hennigan is offering a $205,000 bonus to lawyers who have completed one or more federal clerkships, the firm confirmed Thursday.

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'Grave Errors': 5th Circ. Boots Judge After AI 'Botch Job'

By Jeff Overley

A Mississippi federal judge's careless use of artificial intelligence tools led to "sloppy edicts" riddled with "falsehoods and fabrications," the Fifth Circuit held in a Thursday night opinion removing the judge from litigation over an anti-DEI law in the Magnolia State because of his "extraordinarily grave errors."

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Texas Judge Probe Shows Lack Of Mental Impairment Process

By Jack Karp

Fifth Circuit officials have done a reasonable job of handling a rare situation involving a Texas federal judge who appears to be undergoing a mental health crisis, but the episode highlights that a more standardized way of dealing with federal judges experiencing mental impairment needs to be established, experts and scholars say.

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Jackson Walker Hits Back At Fee Clawback Sanction Move

By Vince Sullivan

Law firm Jackson Walker said Wednesday that it should not be sanctioned for failing to bring to a Texas federal judge's attention additional cases involving an undisclosed romantic relationship between a bankruptcy judge and one of its attorneys because the U.S. Trustee already investigated those cases and didn't take action.

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GOP Reps. Seek Probe Of Fla. Judge's Sanctions Order

By Courtney Bublé

Top Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee asked the Judicial Conference Thursday to investigate a Florida federal judge for potential misconduct with an order she issued in the case involving the leak of President Donald Trump's tax returns.

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JPMorgan, Ex-Frank Execs Clash Over $2.1M In Legal Fees

By Jarek Rutz

JPMorgan Chase & Co. faced renewed demands in the Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday to pay about $2.1 million in withheld legal fees for convicted Frank founder Charlie Javice and former executive Olivier Amar, as their lawyers accused the bank of using repeated billing objections to delay funding for their criminal defenses.

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Roundup MDL Atty Fund 'Cries Out' For Review, 9th Circ. Told

By Dorothy Atkins

Plaintiffs' firms urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse a ruling Thursday requiring them to contribute 8% of their recovery fees to a common benefit fund in multidistrict litigation over Monsanto's Roundup weed killer, arguing the judge ignored a special master's recommendation and the issue "cries out for some appellate supervision."

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